denver man sentenced to 21 years in federal prison for producing child pornography

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 1, 2014

DENVER – Jesse Evans, age 33, of Denver, Colorado, was sentenced today by U.S. District Court Judge William J. Martinez to serve 252 months (21 years) in federal prison for production of child pornography, U.S. Attorney John Walsh, FBI Denver Division Special Agent in Charge Thomas Ravenelle and Denver Police Department Chief Robert White announced. Following his prison sentence, Evans was ordered to serve 25 years on supervised release. He will also have to register as a sex offender. The defendant, who appeared at the sentencing hearing in custody, was remanded at its conclusion.

Evans was first charged by Criminal Complaint on June 29, 2012. He was indicted by a federal grand jury on July 26, 2012. He was later charged by Information on June 12, 2013. He pled guilty before Judge Martinez to the sole count of the Information, production of child pornography, on that same date. He was sentenced today, April 1, 2014.

According to the facts contained in public court documents, on January 3, 2012, a Denver Police Department (DPD) detective initiated a child exploitation investigation. The DPD detective, acting in an undercover capacity, downloaded child pornography from another computer that was using peer-to-peer software to share files. The IP address the detective was downloading the files from had file names indicative of child pornography.

As the investigation continued, a search warrant was obtained and executed by the DPD on February 8, 2012 for Evans' residence. There were multiple computers in the residence, including two laptops. The DPD detective conducted a preview of one of the laptops, and located the downloaded file he obtained at the beginning of the investigation. It was later determined that Evans had access to three prepubescent minors.

On June 28, 2012, an FBI Special Agent who is an expert in child exploitation crimes spoke with the DPD detective. The FBI agent obtained a copy of the investigative file, which included all information obtained during the course of the investigation. The agent conducted review of the computers and located a total of nearly 100 images and videos of child pornography that the defendant produced of the three minors.

“Sexually assaulting children and recording that assault in photos or video, is an unspeakable crime that deserves severe and swift justice,” said U.S. Attorney John Walsh. “Our hearts go out to the victims in this case and their families. The defendant in this case was brought to justice by the hard work of the Denver Police Department and the FBI, working alongside a determined and able Assistant U.S. Attorney from this office. Their unflagging commitment to protecting children from predators like Evans deserves our profound thanks.”

“The work on this case is representative of the high priority the FBI places on finding those who exploit and perpetrate crimes against children,” said FBI Denver Division Special Agent in Charge Thomas Ravenelle. “The FBI will continue to vigorously investigate and prosecute individuals who prey on our most vulnerable victims.”

Denver Police Chief Robert C. White said: “We have to continue to conduct operations of this nature to protect the most vulnerable members of our community – our children. We cannot allow an adult to ever exploit or take advantage of a child.”

This case was investigated by the Denver Police Department (DPD) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The Denver District Attorney’s Office filed state charges, and referred potential federal charges to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

The defendant was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Judith Smith.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.